How to download from YouTube
Three steps, the same on a phone and a desktop.
By using this site you confirm you have the right to download the file you request.
How it works
- 1
Copy the address of the video
From the browser bar, or Share → Copy link in the app. Both the long youtube.com/watch?v= form and the short youtu.be one work, and so does a /shorts/ address.
- 2
Paste it and press Start
The site reads the page and comes back with the resolutions that video genuinely has. A video uploaded at 480p will not be offered as 1080p here, because inventing it would only mean a blurry file with a bigger name.
- 3
Pick a row and save
Video rows give MP4, sound rows give MP3 or WAV. The file converts on our side and downloads straight to your device.
Why the resolution list is shorter than you expected
YouTube does not store one file per video. It stores a separate video stream for each resolution and separate audio streams beside them, and the player picks a pair as you watch. What you see offered here is the list of video streams that actually exist for that upload.
An old upload may top out at 360p because that was the limit when it went up. A phone recording may be 1080p but vertical, in which case the number refers to the short side — the tall side is larger.
What the file is, technically
Every video file from here is H.264 with AAC audio. That matters more than it sounds: YouTube has moved most of its catalogue to VP9 and AV1, and a television, an older iPhone or a car screen will refuse both. The H.264 stream is asked for first, and when a video has nothing but AV1 the file is re-encoded before you get it.
That re-encode is why a long video sometimes takes a minute rather than seconds. Most videos skip it entirely.
What cannot be downloaded
Private videos, members-only uploads and anything behind an age check need an account to view, and this tool never signs in as anyone. There is no setting that changes that.
A live stream still in progress has no finished file to take. Once the broadcast ends and YouTube publishes the replay, the replay behaves like any other video.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to install anything?
No. Everything happens in the browser page you are already on, and the file comes down as a normal download.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes, and the steps are identical. Copy the link from the YouTube app with Share → Copy link, then paste it here.
Why is the MP3 a re-encode?
YouTube’s audio stream is Opus, which is not MP3, so it has to be converted rather than copied. At 320 kbps the difference is not something anyone can hear.
Is there a length limit?
Long videos work, they just take longer and arrive larger. A ten-minute video at 1080p is usually somewhere near 100 MB.